Revisions

I'm revising. Carolyn read the first three chapters and advised that she thinks, too, that I'm getting real close. In fact, she urged me to submit the novel. DH asked, "Did you do it??" Well, the first one has to be complete for anyone to read it. They need to know that the author can, in fact, write the beginning, the middle and the end of a novel.

I used to print out every draft but that's such a waste of ink and paper. So I began to write my novels longhand and as I typed them into the computer I made additions and corrections. And kept writing. I stopped printing out.

So, I'm revising. As I finish editing a chapter I print it out. When I stop work each day I note the page number and chapter so I can go directly to that page when I begin work the next day. I'm seeing progress. And I'm not going back to the beginning all the time to "start fresh."

And I imposed a deadline for myself. I can mail this out on Aug. 19 if I stay on schedule. Today I'm going to make a visual to tape up near my desk so I'll keep going, keep my nose to the grindstone and make this novel happen.

The other tool I'm using is a writing buddy. When I mentioned at JWW (Jay's Writer's World) what I'm doing, Bo jumped up to the plate and said, "I'll do it, too!" So we're writing buddies. If you are trying to accomplish your writing projects and having difficulty, and if you've never had a writing buddy, it's well worth trying. A writing buddy is there to encourage you, be a sounding board and help you to meet your goals...and you help your writing buddy to meet her/his goals, too.

Now, get all of your needs together before you start...bottled water, pens/pencils/markers/highlighters, box of tissue, snacks, candy, gum...whatever you need to have nearby so you won't make excuses to get up and walk away too frequently...and get started. The day's getting away! It's 8:40 a.m. already!!!